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Penn State men's basketball's lack of rim protection comes to light in loss to No. 18 Illinois

When describing Penn State’s 17-point defeat to No. 18 Illinois, a dejected Jim Ferry simply explained that “frustrating is a good word.”

Much of that “frustration” for the interim head coach, aside from blowing an early 15 point lead, came from opposing big man Kofi Cockburn, who exposed Penn State’s lack of interior size as he racked up 23 points on 11-of-13 shooting.

While John Harrar can always be counted upon for commendable effort, the 6-foot-9 big man got in foul trouble quickly against the 7-foot Cockburn, which left the Nittany Lions in search of a new answer.